RB Scott Company Marks 50 Years in Aggregate Industry

RB Scott Company is celebrating 50 years in the aggregate industry, marking a milestone for the family-owned business that has grown from a manufacturer's representative and parts distributor into a dealer of aggregate and recycling processing equipment.

Ralph and Norma Scott founded RB Scott Company in 1976. The company represented equipment manufacturers, including Deister Machine Company, and distributed screens and wear parts.

Three years later, Ralph Scott was looking for a salesman to cover the Minneapolis area. John Mickelson, who was living in Minneapolis at the time, applied for the position.

“I went from a rock band to a rock crusher salesman,” Mickelson said.

Mickelson had played keyboard in a high school rock band in Eau Claire, Wis., before attending college at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. He also was dating Ralph Scott's daughter, Nancy.

Mickelson joined the company in 1979 and married Nancy in 1980. In 1993, the couple purchased RB Scott Company from her parents when they retired.

Today, the company is transitioning into its third generation of family leadership. John Mickelson is CEO, Nancy is vice president, daughter Katie (Mickelson) Murphy is president and son Scott Mickelson is a district manager based in Plymouth, Minn.

The company celebrated its 50th anniversary on Sept. 15 at its headquarters in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. Held on a beautiful fall day, the event was well attended by vendors, customers, employees and their families and featured vendor booths, product displays, a company presentation, food trucks and live music by Hitchville.

Building Business

Ralph Scott had already established himself in the aggregate industry before starting RB Scott Company. He had co-founded Durex Products and later put his experience and industry contacts to work building the new company.

In the first three years, Ralph was RB Scott's only salesman, traveling throughout Wisconsin, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Michigan's Upper Peninsula, and Illinois.

When Mickelson joined the company, he took over Minnesota, South Dakota, and North Dakota.

Ralph and Norma initially operated the business from their home in Eau Claire. and later they moved it to a small building in nearby Altoona, Wis.

RB Scott moved to its current Eau Claire location in 1997. The facility has expanded over the years and now totals approximately 22,000 sq. ft., including administrative and support offices, parts sales, a warehouse, wire screen fabrication, and an assembly and maintenance shop.

The company serves customers in the sand and gravel, crushed stone, frac sand and recycling industries. Its business includes new and used equipment, parts, service and aftermarket support.

RB Scott offers equipment from manufacturers and suppliers including Metso, StraightLine Conveyors, MDS Rip Rap Machines, Eagle Iron Works washing equipment and parts, Schurco Slurry pumps and parts, Argonics, Eagle Iron Works, Flex-Hide Conveyor Belting, Flexco, Master Power Transmission, Scheerer, Superior Components, and TEMA Isenmann.

Adding Manufacturing Capabilities

One of the company's significant developments was the addition of GreyHawk Design & Fabrication Inc., a family-owned company founded in 2008 to design and manufacture process equipment for the sand, gravel and crushed stone industries.

GreyHawk creates and manufactures portable chassis and modular structures for crushers, screens and other specialty structures and systems equipment. A new assembly shop was recently added to increase capacity.

“That is where we design and assemble large portable chassis and modular structures for the rock crushers or screens and things to go on,” said Murphy. “A lot of the equipment you see on our website is on a GreyHawk chassis. And that, I think, really propelled us into the next level that we're at today.”

The addition expanded the company's capabilities and gave RB Scott another way to provide complete processing solutions to customers.

Next Generation

The third generation of the Mickelson family has also played an important role in RB Scott's continued growth.

Scott Mickelson joined the company in 2011 after he completed his undergrad and MBA at Northwood University in Midland, MI. His return came during a period of significant growth for RB Scott, as the frac sand boom accelerated throughout Wisconsin and western Minnesota.

“I decided to come back to the family business because we were so busy. We needed the help,” he recalled.

Scott's experience with RB Scott began well before he officially joined the sales team. Over the years, he took on a variety of jobs around the business, including sweeping floors and mowing the lawn, before moving into sales.

“I'm not a behind-the-desk person,” he said.

Today, Scott serves as a district manager, working directly with customers throughout northern Minnesota and North Dakota.

Katie Murphy was also introduced to the family business at an early age, working in accounting and sales support throughout high school and college. After earning a business degree from the University of Colorado Boulder and spending several years in Washington, D.C., she returned to RB Scott in 2013. She initially joined the company remotely in a marketing role before transitioning into operations and taking on increasing leadership responsibilities. At the end of 2023, Katie was appointed President of RB Scott.

Several previous longtime employees have spent decades with RB Scott, including former district managers Bruce Troxel, Tom Van Wagner, and Jim Squiers. These three played a critical role in our Company's development spanning three decades.

Ralph Scott died in 2020, but his influence remains part of the company's history and its approach to the business.

Nancy Mickelson said the family's long involvement in RB Scott has made the company an important part of their lives.

“My mom and dad talked incessantly about the business because it was their life,” she said. “So, it became ours.”

As RB Scott enters its second half-century, the family remains focused on serving customers in an industry that continues to provide essential infrastructure.

“It has good people and it's a wonderful industry,” Nancy Mickelson said. “And we need to build roads. So, it's not going anywhere.”